House Democrats grilled Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday about how he would handle a request from Congress for the president's tax returns at a Capitol Hill budget hearing.

At Thursday’s hearing, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, asked Mnuchin: “Have you received any instruction or guidance of any kind about how to handle congressional requests for President Trump’s tax returns, and if so, from whom?”

“First of all, I haven’t received the request. If you have the request for me today I’m happy to accept it,” Mnuchin answered. “I can’t speculate on the request until I see it.”

He added that he has discussed it with Treasury’s legal department.

“We will examine it and we will follow the law,” Mnuchin said. “I’m not aware if there’s ever been a request for an elected official’s tax return, but we will follow the law and we will protect the president as we would protect any individual taxpayer under their rights.”

I don't understand how Alexander Acosta still has a job (he's the Labor Secretary for those not paying attention to the latest developments in the Jeffrey Epstein story). Actually, I don't understand how Alexander Acosta isn't living in exile in an isolated village in Nepal.

I don't understand how Alexander Acosta still has a job (he's the Labor Secretary for those not paying attention to the latest developments in the Jeffrey Epstein story). Actually, I don't understand how Alexander Acosta isn't living in exile in an isolated village in Nepal.

Yeah. In the best case scenario, the optics on that are just horrible. And that's the best case scenario.

The Department of Defense Inspector General announced Wednesday it had initiated an investigation into Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan over reports that he has disparaged competing defense companies to the potential benefit of his former firm, Boeing.

In a statement announcing the investigation, IG spokeswoman Dwrena Allen said the agency “decided to investigate complaints we recently received that Acting Secretary Patrick Shanahan allegedly took actions to promote his former employer, Boeing, and disparage its competitors, allegedly in violation of ethics rules."